Scary Movie Moments, Pizza Party, Kenan Visits ‘Archer,’ Marc Maron on ‘Dogs,’ An ‘Abbott’ Mini-Marathon

Series Premiere

Lists are meant to be argued over, and I would quibble with the low (as in high number) placement of a few entries in the first installment of this entertaining eight-part celebration of iconic scenes and sequences from some of cinema’s most influential horror classics. Unlike some more flippant list shows, this is often an illuminating discussion of the mechanics of suspense, with insights from scholars and other expert enthusiasts, plus commentary from pros including Joe Dante, Greg Nicotero, Tom Holland, Mike Flanagan and Ernest Dickerson. The first episode covers entries numbered 101 through 89, and while I wouldn’t want to give too much away, it’s worth noting that you’ll discover how Dan Curtis’s TV-movie Trilogy of Terror influenced the making of the first Chucky movie, Child’s Play. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll probably find a few new movies (including international picks) to add to your must-see list. Even exceptional TV-movies and miniseries are fair game.

Series Premiere

“Pizza is an art.” This assertion is the delectable thread running through all six episodes of the latest iteration of the Emmy-winning foodie franchise, not to be watched on an empty stomach. From Japan to America to, of course, Italy, the series profiles pizza masters whose passion for elevating the basic pie has earned them acclaim and fame. Those telling their inspiring and mouth-watering stories include Rome’s Gabriele Bonci and Franco Pepe from Caiazzo in Italy, Kyoto’s Yoshihiro Imai and closer to home, Sarah Minnick from Portland, Oregon, Chris Bianco from Phoenix and Ann Kim from Minneapolis.

10/9c

Kenan Thompson moonlights from Saturday Night Live to provide the guest voice of “The Broker,” a much-sought-after and targeted operative who Lana (Aisha Tyler) and a reluctant Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) are tasked to bring in and protect from rival gangs. One complication: The mission takes place on Saturday, which is not allowed to be anyone’s day off. (Archer: “I’m too hung over for subterfuge.”) Another: Lana had planned to spend the day with her (and Archer’s) daughter, who gets caught up in the action during a violent office showdown.

GLOW’s Marc Maron is terrific as the (what else) curmudgeonly overseer of a juvenile-detention group home where a perplexed Cheese (Lane Factor) is sent when his Uncle Charley is busted. Dogs’ barbed but gentle humanism is in full force as the disoriented Cheese struggles to make connections, despite talking like (in one roommate’s words) “you reading from a white girl’s Instagram.” Naturally, his fellow dogs start plotting to break Cheese out.

9/8c

Winner last weekend of a well-deserved Creative Arts Emmy for casting, the breakout comedy set at an underfunded Philadelphia public school airs a four-episode block of episodes from its superb first season, spotlighting one of TV’s very best ensembles. The first, “Step Class,” is an especially strong showcase for star/creator Quinta Brunson (Janine) and fellow nominee Janelle Jones as outrageous principal Ava, who team up and clash while teaching an afterschool step class. Other episodes include an Open House night, the disruption caused by the online trend of “desking,” and another big episode for Jones when the staff rallies behind Ava when she goes before the Superintendent to keep precious funds from being pulled from Abbott.

Inside Wednesday TV:

• Jay Leno’s Garage (10/9c, CNBC): A seventh season begins with the former late-night host hanging out with more celebrity car enthusiasts, including Captain Marvel’s Brie Larson, who teaches Jay to fly, and Alfonso Ribeiro, who reveals a secret passion.
• Raising a F***ing Star (9:30/8:30c, E!): A docuseries profiles four families chasing fame, with mom-agers and dad-agers grooming their young ones for potential stardom. Reality-TV exploitation can’t hurt.
• Resident Alien (10/9c, Syfy): Listen for a very familiar voice when Harry (Alan Tudyk) reaches out to the other aliens threatening Earth. He also gets a lesson about parenting when Asta (Sara Tomko) tracks down her birth mother.
• Welcome to Wrexham (10/9 and 10:30/9:30c, FX): A local Welsh band sings the praises of new team owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who spend much of the second episode trying to fulfill their promise to purchase the historic Racecourse stadium, a money pit they have yet to visit in person.
• Disappeared (10/9c, Investigation Discovery, streaming on discovery+): The missing-persons series, which originally aired from 2009 to 2018, is back with new episodes, starting with the case of Kirsten Brueggeman, who was last seen on surveillance cameras in Indianapolis on Jan. 2, 2021.
• Everything’s Trash (10:30/9:30c, Freeform): On Election Day, Phoebe’s (Phoebe Robinson) brother Jayden (Jordan Carlos) scrambles for votes while Phoebe considers her podcast’s future.
• Tell Me Lies (streaming on Hulu): Following an obsessive college relationship past graduation over eight years, this adaptation of Carola Lovering’s novel stars Grace Van Patten and Jackson White as Lucy and Stephen, with three episodes available at launch, the rest streaming weekly.
• Ink Master (streaming on Paramount+): The tattoo competition returns with a new host—Joel Madden, lead vocalist for Good Charlotte—and new judges, including Season 8 winner Ryan Ashley and tattoo specialists Nikko Hurtado and Ami James. The contestants are fan favorites from past seasons, and former host Dave Navarro has a new role as “Master of Chaos,” bringing new twists to the game.